Young vs. Old: How News Consumption Affects Climate Change Policy Preferences

• In Event: Climate Politics from Top to Bottom

Abstract

The rapidly intensifying issue of climate change is likely the defining challenge of the next several generations. The eventual resolution, mitigation, or failure of efforts to address climate change are likely to be tied directly to the driving force of public opinion, which is related in large part to news consumption, whether traditional (cable news, newspaper, etc.) or new (social media, internet, etc.). This research applies existing scholarship on news consumption behavior of cultural types (egalitarian, individualist, hierarch, and fatalist) to examine how these approaches can be used to predict culturally unique individuals’ support for government policies designed to address climate change. Based on a recent statewide survey conducted in Arkansas, our data analysis uses a combination of regression analysis and causal mediation analysis to unpack the driving influences behind varying levels of public support for climate change regulations. We discuss our findings and the related implications thereof, which contribute to broadening our understanding of Cultural Theory, news consumption behavior, and climate change policy preference formation.

Authors

• Ben Galloway, University of Arkasas

• Geoboo Song, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville